That Cover Picture Is A Hint
by Roseheart37819
Summary: In which things start getting interesting, kind of...? XD Part 2 of the Lily series, I don't own Kuroko no Basuke. Originally called Return (though that's cheesy and we all know it. Also, the word itself is a spoiler. *waggles eyebrows*).
1. The Return

**A/N: Yup, I'm back and so is Lily! :) this is going to be called Return (for obvious reasons, if you've read Ah, Children. If not, then go read it or else nothing'll make sense.) And since Ah, Children's finished, I'll be thanking followers and stuff here. I mean, this IS the second book of the series, so it's okay, right? :D**

 **Thanks to Belinda Valentine Bite for favoriting AC and following me, azurerozu101 for favoriting AC, and agirlwithgoodergrammar and Mermaid's Magic for following and favoriting AC! :)**

* * *

Ever since, the Miracles, especially Kise, had gone crazy everytime they saw a blonde kid.

Got them into a lot of awkward situations.

And suspicious glares from protective mommies.

Mostly directed at Kise who would hug the kid, and Aomine for... just being him, I guess.

... Today was no exception.

While the girl looked a bit tall for a kid, she was blonde.

Cautious, having learned his lesson, Kise tried to follow the girl to see her face.

"You're going to get slapped again, Kise."

"Shush, Midorimacchi! It might be her!"

The girl kept looking around as if looking for something.

Finally, she looked to the side, and it was then that Kise saw the magical brown eyes.

Waterfall tears began pouring as he jumphugged the girl.

"LILY!"

The girl glanced at Kise in surprise and then she smiled happily.

"Ryo-nii!"

When Kise let go, Lily got to see everybody else.

"There you all are! The magical portal got me here who knows how long ago and I was looking for you guys!"

Momoi hugged Lily happily.

"It's been so long since I've seen you!"

"Yeah! I'm surprised you guys can even remember my face after 8 years! By the way, did you know? You guys are an anime in my universe called Kuroko no Basuke!"

Momoi stopped hugging Lily in surprise.

"8 years? It's only been 2 years in ours."

"Maybe time passes differently. I'm 13 now! How old are you guys?"

"Um, I'm 15."

Momoi glanced at everybody else who had yet to understand that a Lily Winter was finally in front of them after so long, deciding to speak for them.

"Everyone except Mukkun, Dai-chan, and Akashi-kun is 15. Mukkun, Dai-chan and Akashi-kun are 14 because it's July. It's been two years. Is it a different month in your world?"

Lily shook her head.

"Nah, it's also July. I'm going to be starting high school soon. As for the 2 year-8 year thing, I guess for every 4 years in my world, a year passes in yours."

Lily paused.

"It's nice to be back here. I'm assuming you guys don't stay at the hotel slash what I now know as a training camp, so where do I stay?"

All paused to think.

"You can stay at my house," Momoi was the first to speak.

"Okay, that's decided on!"

After Lily's statement, a small silence passed.

"... So, what do we do now?"

* * *

 **A/N: That was unexpectedly peaceful. XD Lily's right, though. There's so much to do that it feels like you can't do anything at all. :D See you guys in the next chapter!**


	2. The Explanation

**A/N: Oh. My. God.**

 **THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!**

 **I got so much support from the first chapter. Seriously. Only one chapter. I'm just so happy! XD**

 **Today's update is for Lily, 'cause her birthday's today. :)**

 **Thanks to AmiKise and rubyrose30 for following and favoriting Return, Hanna6802 for favoriting AC, and serena-pearl05 and AmiKise for following and favoriting AC! :D**

 **By the way, should I respond to reviews through PMs? Guest ones I'll reply to here, of course. For now, I'll do that since it's more convenient, but if you guys don't want me to, I'll stick to replying here.**

* * *

Akashi was the first to talk.

"... You said we were an anime? What do you mean by that?"

Lily smiled nervously.

"Well, exactly what it is. You guys are an anime in my world, and in my world, the anime' series already finished."

She grinned.

"So I know your futures!"

Kise gaped.

"Eh?! Really?! Tell me mine!"

Lily looked up, contemplative.

"I don't think I'm supposed to. It's like your set paths, and I think I shouldn't mess with that. And I know I'm not a character in the anime, so that means I'm not supposed to be here. I'm not supposed to change anything."

"Aww..."

Lily swept her eyes over everybody.

"So I know what not to talk about, what year are you guys in?"

Akashi replied immediately, saying his third sentence in the conversation.

"Third-year."

"Okay, thaaank you. So, should I keep calling you guys with the nii thing? I mean, as of right now, we're only a year apart compared to the nine-ish before, so..."

Midorima pushed up his glasses.

"You remember us after so long?"

Lily shrugged.

"In a way. I came home telling everything to my mom and dad, but they told me it was my imagination, and soon, that's what I believed. It wasn't till I watched the anime at eleven that I realized what I saw was real."

There was a small silence (if you didn't count Murasakibara's munching) until Aomine broke it.

"So... wanna watch us play basketball?"

"Would happily say yes, but one, I know nothing about basketball, and two, plot change thing."

Lily thought for a moment.

"... How about an amusement park?"

Kise immediately brightened.

"Oh! The ice skating rink we skated in before became one! Wanna go there?"

"How...?"

"I modeled there once!"

"..."

Lily turned to everyone else.

"Well, you guys fine with that?"

Quietly, all nodded.

"Kay then! 'Musement park it is!"

"One thing, though..."

All turned to Aomine.

"Why's your chest so flat? I mean, look at Satsuki."

Murasakibara stopped munching, Momoi reddened as she whacked Aomine on the back, and Lily laughed.

"I think that broke the tension real fast. Aomine, I'm flat and proud of it, kay?"

Lily turned in a random direction.

"Onward!"

There was a silence.

"... Lily, that's the opposite direction."

Lily sent an exasperated look at Kise.

"Lemme have my moment, Kise."

Lily turned.

"This way?"

"Yup."

"Okay. Onward!"

* * *

 **A/N: ... Yeah, this was supposed to be on December 19, but it ended up on December 20. And it's so short... (-_-) Happy birthday, souls. Happy birthday, Lily and Akashi. It's 10:20 PM, I wanna sleep. I'll email review responses tommorow. I'm a morning person, just so you know... So good night, souls. :)**


	3. The Carnival Thing (Part 1)

**Author's Note:** Hello! :D First update of the year!

Even if it's like 3 weeks late. XD

Thanks to little firework for favoriting AC, JasonSyn for favoriting and following EVERYTHING (pretty much), and agirlwithgoodergrammar for favoriting Return! :D

And I have no idea which stories you're reading, so I don't know which to thank you in, but thank you to Lucky-Will-Rock-Dis-World for favoriting me. :)

* * *

 _Return_

* * *

With the power of feet, the seven-now-eight people reached the amusement park.

The first thing they saw was a rollercoaster ride.

And not just any one.

It went up high, slowly, before having a quick drop straight down and looping twice, turning to do the same thing again, but in reverse.

Lily pressed her lips as she watched the screaming riders.

"... I feel sick already. Should we have gone home?"

Her opinion was shared by nearly all else in the group.

"Yeah, that's high!"

"We're not riding that."

"Is that height even legal to build to? And Winter, Akashi, don't ride that. Sagittariuses should avoid high places today."

"..." Lily stared at Midorima.

"Yes?"

"I probably didn't notice this at five, but... "reegar"." She imitated Midorima's pronounciation of "legal", laughing a little.

Kise started laughing too.

"Wait, I think I can pronounce it! Regal. Regal." Kise began chanting.

"Regal. Regal. Regal. Legar. Regal." Furrowing his brows, Kise groaned.

"This is actually really hard, even though my best subject is English!"

Lily's attempt at hiding her laughter was gone as she started laughing louder.

"Legar. Legar. Regal. Leg-"

"Legal."

All turned to the voice that had pronounced it correctly.

"I'm fairly sure I'm fruent in English." Akashi smiled proudly.

Lily smiled goofily.

"Fluent, Akashi."

Akashi blinked.

"Oh, sorry. Furuen."

"Fluent."

"Furu- Fru-" He paused. "Fururu-" Akashi turned his head, irritated.

There was silence for a second.

"... Fluent, legal. Take that!"

Lily grinned at Aomine.

"What about... say, "valley"?"

"... Bali."

Lily laughed loudly.

"Safe to say you people cannot pronounce English properly, right?"

Lily looked around.

"But where's Murasakibara?"

Kuroko pointed to a bakery across the street, behind them.

"There."

"..." Momoi turned Kuroko in the direction of the group.

Kuroko blinked.

"... Hai? _(Yes?)_ " He reverted to Japanese in surprise.

"Say the words we said before, Tetsu-kun." Momoi watched him determinedly.

"Um... Legal, fluent, valley."

"Your best subject is Japanese, right?"

"Yes. You of all people would know that, Momoi-san."

All of the people who had tried to pronounce the words felt a sharp hit to their pride.

 _His best subject is nowhere near English..._

* * *

"I've been thinking, and..."

All turned to Kise.

"Maybe the roller coaster might not be that bad!"

"Go die. By going on it by yourself."

"Your sacrifice will be remembered, Kise-kun."

"So mean! It's just four loops... upside down... with people throwing up over there..."

Kise pointed to a group of people vomiting in the public water fountain, with a long line behind them.

Some couldn't even wait and were just plain vomiting on the street.

Lily cringed.

"I need to unsee that."

Murasakibara pointed to a cotton candy stand.

"Sweets are justice. They will help you."

The group ran over to the cotton candy stand.

"What color do you want?"

"Um... pink? It's the standard color, so..."

"2 pinks, Cotton Candy-chin."

The person behind the booth turned around, smiling, before freezing upon sight of the 6 foot something.

Poor soul.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Would have written the whole thing, but I'm not holding off this update after forcing you souls to wait for a month, AND I honestly want to see this be a multi-chapter arc thing. :)

But not like the birthday arc in AC.

That took up a third of the story...


	4. The Carnival Thing (Part 2)

**Author's Note:** ONE MONTH.

... I suck at schedules.

Well, good morning, good afternoon, or good evening! :D

You souls are wonderful people. I HAVE _FIVE_ REVIEWS! XD

Well, thanks to **Applejax XD** (You know, I should just embolden your names from now on. I was thanked for following somebody and I felt awesome. You guys should feel like that too.) for following and favoriting Return and **yakitorii** for favoriting AC!

* * *

 _Return_

* * *

After getting the cotton candy (discounted, too, for some reason), the group went on to the stand where you throw balls into fish bowls and win fish if you get them in.

... I don't know what it's called.

But Lily saw it first, and she skipped over.

"Let's get some fishes or something!"

Kise blinked.

"Eh? Why?"

"It's got nice memories attached! I'd throw a whole buncha balls..." Lily smile became sheepish. "And I'd only get one of them in... the fish'd die in two seconds, too."

Midorima frowned.

"... You suck at shooting. And that's depressing."

"Which is why I wanna overwrite it with you guys! Come on, why not?"

And so the group went to the stand.

"100 yen for a basket of balls! Try your luck here!"

Lily opened her mouth to call the man, but paused.

"... Do we get one basket for all of us?"

"I think so. It'd save money... But who's paying?" Momoi glanced around.

"Since I suggested it, I should pay, but I got into here with no money..."

Kise volunteered.

"I'll pay! But you guys have to go with me on the roller coaster if I do."

All turned to Kise.

Was he going insane?

"Come on, everybody! Just look." Kise motioned to the rides. "None of these are made for us except the roller coaster!"

Aomine pointed to the Ferris Wheel, looking warily at Kise.

"... That doesn't count."

"What do you mean, _that doesn't count_?"

"Well, it's romantic and a date thing and- do you guys think they can fit us in there?"

"..."

Grudgingly, the group accepted Kise's words.

... Before Aomine jammed his hand in Kise's pocket.

"So you're paying. We're getting baskets for everybody now." Aomine turned to the man. "Oi, 9 baskets."

Kise panicked.

"But I have only 500 yen!"

"I thought you modeled?" Lily stared at Kise, faintly amused.

"I don't want to get mugged!"

"..." Lily tried to hide a laugh.

"It's not funny!" Kise pouted. "I got mugged once!"

"How much were you carrying?"

"10,000 yen."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Okay, let's take 100 yen from you and get the basket already."

Aomine took out 10 ten-yen coins and tossed them at the man at the stand.

"1 basket!"

The man caught the coins before glancing at the group in surprise.

"All of you?"

"Yup. Give us a basket!" Lily grinned.

And so they got a basket.

* * *

Aomine swore the game was rigged.

Lily got 2 fish, Midorima got 5- as in, all of his balls went into fish bowls (he wanted to chuckle at the unexpected double meaning)- and everyone else got 3 fishes or one lone fish.

A grand total of 18 fish.

And he was the only one who didn't get a frickin' fish.

This was a sad, sad blow to Aomine's pride, and he was not leaving until he got _6 fishes_.

That's right.

6 fishes.

Jamming his hand into his jeans, he dug around for 100 yen.

Taking out the 100 yen, he handed it to the man...

Wait, that was the photo Kise took of Lily's drawing back when she was still five.

... He felt stupidly nostalgic, and put it back in, carefully this time so it didn't get more crumpled than it was.

Anything else?

... Wait. He spent his money on a new basketball yesterday.

Which meant he was broke.

And that meant...

"Um, Satsuki."

"Hm?"

"Can I... borrow some money?"

He felt himself growing more and more pitiful by the second.

"Ah, sure. 100 yen?"

"Yeah."

After getting the money, he finally handed it to the man.

He got a nice 40 balls- never mind how that fit into the basket- and aimed.

To get as many fish as possible, he'd need to aim for the close fish.

Carefully, he looked around.

A dark blue fish bowl sat on the table, and that was what he aimed for.

The ball caught on the rim.

It rolled around it... once... twice... three times... four times...

Forever passed and Aomine was amazed.

He had to have some sort of talent, because the stupid ball was _still_ rolling.

Around and around like some hypnotizing voodoo...

God help him.

As if on cue, the ball finally stopped...

 _And rolled out_.

Aomine cursed.

Maybe he had some sort of bad luck.

If he did, that meant he probably wasn't going to get the rest of the balls in, either...

He groaned.

"It's okay, Dai-chan. You can have my fish."

He turned to Momoi, who held out her fish bag almost coyly.

The little fish was black with blue eyes.

While he had watched the cursed white ball, Momoi gushed about how much the thing was a fish version of Kuroko.

The little fish swam in a circle before huddling into a corner, watching him like one of those kids who hid behind their parents.

It was actually kinda... cute.

But he'd seen the woman and how much she adored Kuroko.

Hugging Kuroko while he was having _important basketball conversations_ with him, popping up everywhere and ultimately distracting Kuroko...

The one time Kuroko was decided to be the guy that brought Momoi to her surprise birthday party at Maji Burger, she thought he was asking her on a date.

While he showed up in a T-shirt, she wore makeup and had her hair in that weird, sort-of-classy half-ponytail, complete with high heels and an impressively pretty blue dress that looked like a ball gown without looking too over-the-top.

Kuroko was the only one she called by first name, too, out of all of them, and no, he didn't count, because he was her childhood friend and of course she'd call him by first name.

In one of her creepier moments, he'd even caught her doing something to Kuroko's towels.

He didn't find out what exactly, but judging by her position, he did _not_ want to know.

And all of that meant she was making a big sacrifice if she was giving him a fish like this, if she actually liked Kuroko that much, over a popsicle stick.

... A big, big sacrifice.

Aomine felt guilty, and he was not going to take a fish from his best friend if it meant it would break her heart.

But, probably predicting his train of thought, Momoi placed the bag into his hands.

"Just keep the nickname I gave him, okay?"

Tsukkun.

The fish's nickname was Tsukkun.

Momoi walked away, turning to give him a reminder that the roller coaster was next.

He lifted the fish up to his eye level.

Blue eyes stared at him, apparently accepting him as their new guardian.

Momoi had said Tsukkun was a guy, but he wasn't going to assume here.

"Hi, Tsukkun."

... Yup, he was talking to a fish.

Officially insane.

But the fish got closer, like it could understand him.

"I... feel like an idiot right now, but I'm Aomine. And... yeah. I'm taking care of you now."

The fish stayed still for a moment before swimming to the other side of the bag, apparently marking the end of the conversation.

Ah, he'd need fish food.

"Excuse me, old man, I need some fish food?"

The man looked at him, smiling.

"I could've sworn my cap was hiding my grey hairs."

He grabbed a small container and handed it to him.

"Well, here. Feed the little guy once a day and it should be fine."

He nodded, taking the thing.

"That should be enough for a month."

Aomine looked at the man, alarmed.

"Oh, don't be like that. I'd say 3 weeks, but this fish is tiny."

And that explained why Kuroko ate so little.

He turned, but the man tapped him on his shoulder.

He looked back, and the man motioned for him to get closer.

He did.

The man whispered in his ear, eyes twinkling.

"That girl who gave you her fish? She's a keeper."

Aomine abruptly reeled back, eyes wide, face burning.

He'd- he'd never thought of Momoi like that!

The man chuckled at his face.

"I met my wife the same way. Now I operate this stand for nostalgia's sake."

Yeah, that was his official cue to get out of here.

He speed-walked out, his face slowly cooling down.

Momoi waved at him from a line of people, as if huge bodies and rainbow hair wasn't enough of a clue to where everybody was.

... He was _not_ interested in Momoi, and any sort of romantic interest was not happening anytime soon...

But he could afford to thank her for the fish.

"Thanks, Satsuki."

"Hm?"

... On second thought, the guy's words were still fresh in his mind.

"Nothing."

He stepped next to her in line.

* * *

The line was slowly dwindling as the group got closer and closer to sitting on the coaster.

Lily looked at Kise in alarm.

"You sure you want to go on this? Look, at how high it is-"

Lily widened her eyes.

"Oh yeah! Where do we put our fishes?"

A woman walked up with a box.

"For the people with them, fishes go in here!"

Kise grinned at her.

"Fishes go in there!"

"Aww..."

Reluctantly, Lily placed her fishes in the box, as did the rest of the group.

Taking a deep breath, Lily looked back at the roller coaster.

"Well, I might as well accept my fate. Let's do this!"

Midorima's head whipped in Lily's direction.

"Sagittariuses are advised _not_ to go on high places."

"If I skip out, I'd be not fulfilling my end of the deal, right?"

Midorima sighed.

"Your luck, not mine."

He turned to Akashi.

"What about you? You must have common sense, as these idiots are clearly lacking it."

"Actually, I'd like to try."

Midorima gawked.

"It might be an interesting change from the usual."

Kise grinned.

"That's the spirit!"

Lily giggled, also grinning.

"Ah! You have braces!"

Lily paused.

"Hm?"

Momoi pointed at Lily's teeth.

"Oh yeah, I do."

Murasakibara glanced over, placing a hand on Lily's shoulder in sympathy.

"You can't eat a lot of sweets when you have braces, right?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"My older sister had braces. She had to take out a bunch of teeth. Four, I think."

Lily smiled sheepishly.

"Me too."

Kise blinked.

"Does it hurt?"

"No, they gave me anesthesia, and that's what hurt a little."

She winced.

"Something about the name made me think before that it was really sweet. It's actually really bitter."

"Excuse me!"

The group looked ahead to find... no one.

"You're next!"

Ah.

The group, at varying paces, walked and sat down.

Lily skipped over, while Kise speed-walked.

Akashi and Midorima walked normally, and Momoi pressed her lips, sort of hiding behind Aomine, who looked vaguely amused at Momoi's fear.

Kuroko was comforting her.

Murasakibara was trudging behind before he was stopped by the staff, who were telling him snacks weren't allowed.

One glare was all it took for them to shut up.

And so the group sat, taking up the whole space, waiting for Murasakibara, and when he came in, for the ride to start.

It did, with the carts creaking their way up.

A few silent moments passed.

"I bet this view is better than the Ferris Wheel," Lily began.

"Nooo," Momoi stopped her. "We're going home after this. My stomach is twisting..."

Then the carts stopped.

"And this is when they fall," Akashi mused.

The carts plummeted.

In the front row, Kise screamed his throat off, while Lily laughed.

"This is actually fun! I like wind in my face, 'cause I'm one of those kids that get carsick. Used to get carsick."

Behind them, both Akashi and Kuroko had paled and were now rendered mute.

In the third row, Aomine screamed, but not because of the ride.

Momoi was clutching his hand so tightly he felt his bones breaking.

His curses permeated the entire amusement park.

And finally, behind them, Murasakibara was munching on chips.

The first loop came, and that meant his chips flew in the air.

When they came back down, his chips smacked Midorima in the face, who slapped them away from his face.

Murasakibara reached for his fallen chips, but he never got them.

The second loop came and went, and the ride finally stopped... only to turn in reverse.

Kise screamed again.

"I'm gonna be deaf soon..." Lily chuckled.

"AND I'M GOING TO BE DEAD!"

Two loops and a second plummet later, Kise was gasping for air.

"I'm dead, I'm dead," he chanted.

The ride stopped.

Kise widened his eyes in relief and opened his seatbelt.

"I'M ALIVE!"

Lily got off happily.

"That was fun! I actually wanna go again..."

"NO." Was Midorima's immediate answer.

"Home?" Momoi whimpered. "I want to go home..."

"YES." Came a chorus.

And so everybody went home.

* * *

 **Omake:**

"OH MY GOD WE FORGOT THE FISH." Were Lily's first words when they stepped out of the amusement park.

Everybody groaned, turning to get back inside.

Only to see Aomine holding up 18 bags of fish.

"Tsukkun made me remember," he started.

He got a heap of relieved hugs in return.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : This ended up good! :D I ended up taking **agirlwithgoodergrammar** 's suggestion, too.

... Maybe I should have split the event more evenly...

I reread and added an omake and stuff! :)


	5. The Fish Fiasco Plus Some Limbs

**Author's Note** : If you read Penguinmania, you saw I said I'd update Return too.

So here it is!

Even if it wasn't an update right after. Sorry. XD

When you count the days, I'm a week off updating a month later! Progress! :D

* * *

In their hurry to get home, everybody had just gone to Momoi's house.

And nobody was willing to get out and go home, so the fish and the people stayed at Momoi's house.

So it ended up being a little... crowded.

"Kise, your leg is digging into my back!"

"Your hand is in my mouth!"

"Wait, that was the watery thing I was feeling? Oh-"

"Hap huwing he ha hung!" (Stop pulling at my tongue!)

"I'm trying to get it out! Stop moving your mouth!"

"Your elbow hit my chest, Mine-chin."

"Deal with it for one second. Just one second."

"..."

"One second passed already."

"Not literally! And Kise, I told you to stop moving your mouth!"

"I did stop moving my mouth!"

"Then... whose mouth is this?"

"Mine, Aomine-kun."

"Oh my god. Tetsu, I thought you were next to Akashi. How did you end up here?"

"I don't know, myself."

"But whose hand is in my mouth?! It tastes like... sweat! Cold sweat!"

"I think it's mine..." Murasakibara moved his hand. "Yes, mine."

"I want to be a girl... Sleep with Momoicchi and Lily in their room and not here..." Kise was sobbing.

"It's one of the sad things about being a guy..."

"... Where's Akashi?"

"I think he fell off the bed."

"Is he okay? AKASHICCHI!"

Akashi was in fact on the floor, sleeping peacefully.

Or at least trying to.

"Nobody wants to know where your body parts are. I don't even want to know whose hair is in my mouth, considering that _I'm on the floor_. Be quiet."

There was a few rustles and groans before silence fell.

* * *

A loud gasp.

"I'M ALIVE!"

"My back hurts..."

Lily walked in cheerfully.

"You guys are up!"

She stared at the pile of limbs.

"O... kay..." She started to back away.

"Please help us out of this..." Kuroko's head popped out.

"I'll try..." She walked closer and grabbed a hand.

"Whose hand is this?"

"Mine." Murasakibara's hand waved a little before returning to its original position.

"Why is it holding Aomine's nose?"

"He rolled on top of me and I started to suffocate, so I grabbed the nearest thing..."

Lily looked away, uncertain as to whether she should laugh or feel sorry for them.

"Well, he's suffocating too now. Mind letting go?"

The hand let go.

"Okay. Aomine?"

Silence.

"Aomine?"

More silence.

"I think we'll be holding a funeral today."

She looked away.

"Two, actually."

"Who died?"

"One of Kise's fish."

Like a rocket, Kise shot up, knocking everyone else out of the pile and into each other.

Lily stared at Kise in incredulity.

"Was that all we needed to do to get you guys out?"

"I think so..." Kuroko rubbed his head, of which had crashed into Midorima's.

"WHICH ONE DIED?!"

"Um... they all looked the same..."

Kise ran out of the room.

"..."

Lily stared at Aomine, who was lying face-down on the floor.

She picked him up and placed her hand in front of his nose.

She let out a little breath.

"Okay, good. The guy's just a heavy sleeper."

All let out a breath.

"By the way, do you guys want me to take care of your fish? You all have school today, I'm pretty sure, and Momoi told me you had a match against some souls. Since I don't really plan on interrupting the plot, I can't do anything basketball related with you guys. So I'm definitely going to have a lot of free time."

She got a chorus of "yes"s, "fine"s, and "I guess so"s.

She looked at the door, a smile forming.

"Now, I wanna see which fish died. I think Kise gave them all names..."

She paused.

"Oh, and breakfast. Momoi made some stuff for you."

The group stiffened.

"I think you'll be okay. I got her to take out the pocky and onions... she was convinced that adding your favorite foods in would make you want to eat her food. We searched up this nice recipe for pancakes, and she followed that step by step."

She looked away.

"I ate some, so I'm pretty sure you guys'll be okay, but if I die today... I want to say I died not doing my school's summer homework in my world." She giggled.


	6. The Fish Fiasco Plus A Funeral

**Author's Note:** I honestly can't remember if this is late, so I'll call it late. But have mercy, because 1) I lost internet for about two weeks or so, and 2) I have a vacation. :) You get what I mean?

You souls seem to be okay with my fairly sporadic updates though, so I guess I should stop talking about it to save you guys some time.

Thanks to **Sebastian Michaeles** for following and favoriting AC _and_ Return (!) and following me, and **RaeningNV** for following Return!

By the way, AC has 9900 views now, so I'm real happy (and shocked, how?!)! Yay~ :D

Which reminds me that I should renovate AC. Some of the chapters... *cringe*

But enough happiness.

Today... *dramatic drumroll* is a funeral.

* * *

After a few more remarks on Momoi's cooking, all joined a sobbing Kise in the living room.

"She was my favorite-" Sob. "She shined like a star, so I called her Kira-" More sobs. "But she died, and- and-" More sobbing.

"What about your god knows how many other fish?" Aomine glances at Kise's other fish, reminded of how _he_ couldn't get a single fish.

"They're _all_ my favorites!"

Midorima huffed.

"They all die at some point. Get over it, Kise."

Kise shot a sour glance at Midorima.

"Says the one whose fish also died."

Midorima gawked, staring at his dead fish, laying next to Kira.

"LUCKY!"

Lily hid a smile.

"He named one of his fish Lucky?"

Murasakibara shrugged.

"I named one of my fish Maiubo."

Lily stared at them, amused.

"Is Tsukkun the only normal one?"

"Maybe."

"Poor soul."

Murasakibara put a chip in his mouth.

"Kise-si nemanahuh huh his hishes... ( _Kise-chin named another of his fishes..._ )" Murasakibara yawned before swallowing his chip. "Chrysanthe... mum. Mm, Chrysanthe Mum." Murasakibara nodded to himself.

"After the flower?"

Murasakibara glanced at Lily in what seemed to be surprise.

"After a book you told him you read. When you were tiny."

Murasakibara motioned to his feet.

"That tall."

Lily smiled, uncertain as to how to respond.

"... I'm pretty sure I was taller than, like, an inch."

Murasakibara ignored her comment as he clutched his potato chips.

"When I said I wanted my chips back, he said he had to finish talking about the story of Chrysanthe Mom first."

He glowered.

"I wanted to crush him. He talked too much."

He paused.

"But he gave me my chips after, like he promised, so it's fair."

He put another chip into his mouth.

"Buhi neha homi. 'S 'ere a Kisanthuh Dah? ( _But he never told me. Is there a Chrysanthe Dad?_ )"

Lily paused before realizing what he meant.

"Oh! It's all one word. Chrysanthemum. No mommy or daddy."

There was a short silence before Murasakibara opened his mouth.

Akashi cut off Murasakibara's non-existent response.

"The funeral's going to start. I imagine Kise would not be happy if you two kept talking."

"..."

Murasakibara kept his mouth open.

With that mouth still open, he walked out of the living room.

A few seconds later, he walked in with a new, opened potato chip bag.

He put the chip in his still-open mouth.

"I wasn't going to talk, Aka-chin."

Both Akashi and Lily stared blankly.

"I doubt that..."

All attention moved to Kise now, who had wiped the tears away, and was as calm as he could be while holding Kira's funeral. And Lucky's.

But Lucky had... disappeared?

Along with Midorima.

"The funeral of Kira starts now." Kise took a deep breath.

What about Lucky?

"And we, uh, are going to talk about her." Kise sniffled. "I'll... go first."

"I met Kira yesterday, at the fishing stand. I saw her, and she saw me, with her big, beautiful eyes, and in that moment, I was _enraptured_." Kise smiled.

And that was when everybody realized Kise was going to be delivering a loooong story.

Aomine fidgeted, not having even brushed his teeth.

His breath was bothering him.

"And that was when I knew I wanted her. So I got a basket, with you guys. And I threw the balls into the bowls. It was really hard, because the things were really far away. But I looked at Kira, and she stared at me. She wanted me to get her, away from this torture in... in a plastic bag. She wanted a proper home. A fish bowl, or an aquarium. Love. Care. And she saw that in me. And I, I wanted her too. I saw security in _her_. She was beautiful, and something made me want to have her. Protect her."

Kise paused, taking a breath, and Murasakibara took this opportunity to ask if he could refill his chip supply.

"After I finish, Murasakibara."

"But you're going to take really long."

Kise was uncharacteristically solemn as he stared at Murasakibara, and all realized that Kise was serious in his grief over Kira. They felt a pinprick of guilt, no matter how much they wanted to laugh at his attachment to a _fish_ that had barely lived for more than twelve hours.

"You can go, but it would mean a lot to me if you stayed here and listened."

Murasakibara paused before ambling away with zero hesitation.

"I want my chips. Sorry."

Kise gaped.

"Murasakibaracchi, this is the part when you're supposed to pat me on the shoulder and say you're going to stay!"

A quiet giggle was heard in the background.

"But I want my chips..."

Kise sighed, looking at everybody else.

"You guys aren't going to leave me too, are-"

He abruptly realized everybody had left the funeral except for Lily.

"WHY?!"

Lily waved, smiling.

"Least I'm still here."

She looked away.

"Though as far as I know, Kuroko was never here."

Kise gaped.

"Kurokocchi left me?!"

Lily giggled.

Kise fumed.

"It's not funny!"

He calmed down as he got sad.

"I really wanted everybody to be here..."

Lily got closer, and Kise looked up to her, confused.

She wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him in a hug.

Kise felt his face warm a little as his eyes widened.

"Least your one died naturally. I've had a whole bunch of goldfish, and I never took care of them..." Lily laughed. "Those poor souls."

She pulled away, and Kise tried to recompose himself, forcing himself to pay attention to her words and not the loss of warmth.

"I wasn't all that responsible as a caretaker. So they died in all these unnatural ways..." Lily looked up nervously, throwing a quick glance at him. "One of them one of my aunts tried to fry when she came over. Another time I was trying to change the fish tank's water and I dropped the fish. I stepped on it by accident, and I ended up decapitating it."

Well, that definitely got Kise to snap out of it.

Lily chuckled weakly.

"Another one I lost. We found the poor thing years later in a corner under the table gathering dust. Then another one... oh heck, I don't remember."

He gaped at her as she smiled sheepishly.

But then Lily paused, realizing something.

"Oh frick, I should let you finish, right?"

She motioned at him.

"Go ahead!"

Kise blinked, trying to remember where he'd left off.

"I can't remember where I was..."

"You were talkin' 'bout balls."

"Ah!" Kise settled into his grief again, and he became grave. "So the balls were really far away, and I had only 5 balls. I threw the first one in, and I missed. The second one got me Chrysanthemum. The third got me another fish, and I named him Yori. I couldn't find Kira, and I didn't want the operator to get annoyed with me, so I had ended up with those two so far. Obviously, I loved them too, but I wanted to get Kira."

Lily sat down.

"You mind if I sit? I know you're pretty close to done and all, but just in case, I don't want my feet to hurt before it even reaches noon."

Kise nodded.

"I threw the fourth ball and it missed. And... now I was _really_ starting to panic." Kise ran a hand throuhg his hair nervously. "I mean, I had only one ball left and if I failed I had to buy another basket and that cost 100 yen and I was thirsty and I was going to buy a drink after I finished and it would cost-"

Lily grabbed his shoulders.

"Calm yo'self."

Kise paused, and he looked down sadly.

Lily sighed.

"You know what, let's just say you loved Kira to bits and let her rest peacefully. We don't want the thi- _soul_ to rot before it rests, right?"

Kise nodded.

As Lily picked up Kira and wrapped her in a tissue, Kise watched her quietly.

Reluctant, he talked to her.

"Lily?"

She turned to him.

"I... I know I can be really stupid, so I'll just ask you... Do you think there's a fish heaven?"

Lily paused, before replying bluntly

"No."

Ah.

"People might be rewarded with heaven or hell, but not fish. They don't have a heaven to go to."

Well, Kise felt awkward.

He thought she was going to say yes, with how empathetic she had been...

"But they do get something better."

Huh?

"They get all sorts of love. From grandparents who want somethin' low-maintenance to kids who won them at the carnival, in their short lifetimes, fish get more love than they could ever ask for."

Lily had finished wrapping Kira and laid her on a nearby surface.

"And then they die peacefully, and rest forever. Short, but sweet. And that's better than what we'll get, either heaven or hell." She shrugged. "Heck, they kinda make me wish I was a fish."

That...

Well, Lily was a comforter.

He had to thank her for that in some way, didn't he?

Kise gave Lily his most charming smile.

"You know, you've been really kind."

He pouted in the direction of the door where the Miracles had left from.

"Unlike them."

Lily giggled. "Welcome."

"Anything you want me to do for you? I owe you for seeing me being so stupid."

She looked up.

"Probably nothing, but if I think of somethin', I'll let you know. Honestly though, you're lettin' me take care of your fish, so..."

Ah!

Kise stared suspiciously at Lily.

"Yori and Chrysanthemum aren't going to die today, right?"

Lily gave him a thumbs-up.

"I'm a much better pet owner than in those times. You're okay."

Kise let out a sigh of relief.

"Now, let's go to you souls' breakfast. We've been stuck here for way too long." Lily grinned at him.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Hm... got pretty bland after everybody left. Well, if you've got something I could've added here to make it better, tell me. :)


	7. The Photo

**Author's Note:** Hm... this is the 72nd chapter I've ever written... Maybe I should do something special for the 100th one?

Happy birthday, Momoi! (And Hyuuga, and whoever other's birthday I missed...)

I was unsure how I would lead to the ending I wanted, which is why I took so long. But I have _my very own_ computer and that means updates should come much, much faster after this. Assuming I don't get lazy. XD

Thanks to **Shiovaun** and **EmeraldDragio** for their favorites and follows in AC and **Yukimi Himenou** and **Shiovaun** 's follows and favorites for Return!

* * *

Lily and Kise walked into the kitchen.

"Ah! You're back!" Momoi held a staggering amount of pancakes in one hand.

"Everybody thought the pancakes were good, so I made some more, but they ended up not being hungry anymore and they went without you."

"They left me?!" Kise gaped.

Lily laughed at Kise's predicament.

"Don't worry! Without you, the players aren't even. They'll _have_ to wait for you."

Sparkles surrounded Kise as he smiled happily in realization, but the poor guy quickly faded into the background when Lily paused, glancing at the pancakes in surprise, and then at Momoi.

"Uh... how many pancakes are on there?" Lily's voice had gone high.

"Seven or eight." Momoi smiled sheepishly.

Lily stared blankly at the pancakes in disbelief.

"... Momoi, I think we'll be eating these for the next few days, 'less Kise has the appetite of Aomine. I don't think the anime mentioned whether he did..." Lily scratched her hair.

Both Miracles stared at Lily.

Momoi spoke.

"Are we going to have to get used to you knowing things we haven't talked about?"

Lily had a soundless "ah" moment in realization.

"Sorry." Lily smiled sheepishly, scratching her hair again.

Lily looked at Kise.

"And honestly- because I don't want you just standin' here- you gonna eat?"

* * *

Kise had left after eating, and Momoi would have been here if Lily hadn't realized that because of Momoi's cooking, there was nothing in the fridge and that _they were going to slowly starve_.

So the older girl went grocery shopping.

Obviously, she _was_ reluctant- this was the first time she was leaving Lily _all alone_ somewhere- but Lily told the woman she technically didn't exist in the universe, so nothing could really happen to her, and Lily had a phone with 110 all nice and ready. Found it in the closet or something.

And so Lily was alone.

But after five minutes of just sitting around, Lily realized that staying in somebody's house alone was boring.

She didn't see any envelopes or anything to draw on, and the remote for the TV was non-existent.

Probably under a couch somewhere.

The phone was a flip-phone, so no internet.

Though that did raise questions of whether she could read fanfics here if she did have it...

She adjusted her position on the couch.

...

... She adjusted it again a few minutes later.

...

She was hanging upside down now.

She took a deep breath, trying to ignore the weird feeling she always got hanging upside down, before sitting properly again.

"Now that I think of it, where're Momoi's parents?" Lily paused. "Or Aomine, or Kuroko- wait, the guy lives with gram'ma. I think."

She looked around once more, before standing up.

"Hmm... Capri? Help me here."

She walked into the bedroom she and Momoi had slept in, a room with cornflower blue walls and autumn leaves (and flowers?) in a darker shade of blue decorating the bottom half. Engineered dark brown hardwood served as the floor.

The bed was traditional, made of hardwood with mahogany veneers, next to a window-door leading to a white balcony taking up an entire wall, that gave a (slightly obstructed) view of the afternoon sun.

On the opposite side of the room was a white transitional dresser with a few framed photos...

Do we really need all this description?

She'd literally slept in it last night. Why was she paying so much attention to it _now_?

Lily stepped out of the room and into the room the Miracles had slept in, further down the (rather narrow) hallway.

* * *

... Oh heck, describing rooms gave Lily something to do that was more interesting than looking for envelopes or paper to draw on.

The room the Miracles had slept in was a contrasting carmine red in comparison. Momoi's parents' bedroom, maybe?

Anyway, the bed was almost identical to Momoi's bed, but bigger.

She didn't know what king and queen beds meant exactly, or if there were other types of beds, and she couldn't exactly search it up, so that was the only way she could describe it.*

And its sheets weren't white, but instead something leaning towards peach, but not quite.

Instead of a dresser, the bed had two small side tables. Mini, dark brown versions of Momoi's dresser, with a lamp on each one.

There was a wall-length window in this room, but no balcony.

A mahogany red rug covered the entire floor, obscuring whatever floor this room had.

... And Lily really couldn't see anything to explore (where were the closets?), so she headed off.

* * *

There _was_ the kitchen and bathroom, but the kitchen and bathroom looked like normal people kitchens and bathrooms.

... Okay, that was a lie.

The toilet had all these buttons with kanji (hiragana? Katakana?) she couldn't read, and she wasn't planning on doing something stupid and breaking this poor woman's toilet.

So Lily was back in the blue beautiful room, and she decided to look at the photos.

... Because there really wasn't much to look at.

Honestly, the place was nice and neat and barely looked like it was _lived in_.

So she picked up one of the framed photos.

There were three of them.

The one she held was kinda small and faded, and Momoi was a little kid in the photo.

Momoi looked... different. Her bangs were different, her eyes were _huge_ , and she was dressed in a purple dress with an empire waist.

But that was kinda obvious because most little kiddie dresses had empire waists.

Momoi wore a bookbag on her back and was turned in surprise, like she had just realized somebody was about to take a picture, and ahead, kinda blurred, was a tanned figure.

Obviously that was Aomine.

A sakura petal obscured the guy's head, though.

There was also the trees and dirt, so Aomine just looked like a floating shirt and pants.

Lily giggled.

God, this kinda looked like that first-day-of-school thing she saw in Kuroko's baby photos in the ending songs, just... Momoi-ized. Momoi-zed?

There was also a little kid with black hair and a cap watching her.

The look in his eyes was faint curiosity.

Lily stared at the photo for a few more seconds, but found nothing else of interest.

She put it down.

Next photo!

This one was longer horizontally than vertically, and thus allowed for more faces.

Lily smiled.

7 faces, to be exact.

... Did Momoi's hair count as her face?

It looked like everybody after a victory.

Akashi was blinking (more likely that he was smiling knowingly, but she wanted to think he was just blinking because it would be hilarious), so maaaybe he could've been looking at the camera, but literally nobody was looking _with their eyes open_ at the camera, making it clear this was candid.

... Lily stared suspiciously at the photo.

He could have been blinking or smiling knowingly, but he also looked like he might be fainting...

His body was tilted, too, so...

Kise was mid-shout, eyes alight with fire (even his hair was flying), seeming to be looking at... Aomine?

No, maybe right past him at something.

Murasakibara was looking there too.

Midorima had a hand to his glasses, smiling, glancing at Kise, and Kuroko and Aomine were laughing, Aomine about to hug Kuroko.

They were all in their jerseys, except for Momoi, who was just... her hair.

Lily felt a sudden pang of sadness.

Maybe it was because of what was to come...

Slowly, she put the photo down.

But then she heard the rustling of bags and the clinking of keys.

Lily gasped in happiness, standing up straight immediately.

Her prince(ss) had come!

She ran out and flung open the door, jumphugging Momoi.

"Momoi!"

Momoi collapsed, the bags (kinda) cushioning her fall.

"Lily?!"

"I wasn't bored, at least not for long, but it felt real empty without you. God." Lily released Momoi and picked up a few bags.

Momoi shakily stood up, not quite sure how to respond.

Lily didn't wait for a response, though, as she ran into the kitchen.

Slowly, Momoi walked in.

She placed the bags down and then noticed the door to her bedroom open.

"Lily, what were you doing in my room?" She smiled, faintly suspicious and faintly amused.

"Oh, I was lookin' at your photos."

Lily turned to her, abruptly quiet.

"If you don't mind me asking, when was the photo with all o' you taken?"

"Ehh... our first win together, as the Generation of Miracles."

"Mm..."

Momoi tilted her head.

"What's bothering you?"

"Nah... more like just remembered something from you guys' future."

Lily lowered her eyes... to her chest.

She moved it straight back up again, rather awkwardly.

"Keep an eye on those souls..."

Momoi widened her eyes.

Was that... a hint at the future?!

But her experiences with Midorima told her not to push it. Just take what she could...

"Okay...?"

Momoi allowed her eyes to brighten.

She couldn't tell what Lily was possibly referring to yet, but she'd learn.

For now, her job was changing the subject.

"Okay, do you want to go outside with me? I'm not sure what we can do, but maybe we can do something."

Lily tilted her head, not in a show of confusion, but of agreement.

She smiled.

"Oh, sure."

* * *

*Momoi's bed has a full mattress, and Momoi's parents' one is king.

 **Author's Note:** Aww, there was a completely different vibe I wanted to add. Instead, it ended up being much more subtly placed...

Oh well. It gives me something for the next chapter (maybe?).

I try not to add things of my own (such as the description of Momoi's house), but I ended up doing it. If Fujimaki Tadatoshi ends up saying something that goes against my descriptions, though, I'll change it.


	8. I Don't Know? Hi Again!

**Author's Note:** So... somehow people are still reading this after months of not-updating? :O That's amazing... But anyway, happy holidays! Also, I was rereading Ah, Children and realized I said I'd list followers and favoriters there for AC, so yeah. (There's this one person who followed AC half a year ago that I never thanked... I'm so sorry, kaz. soto19.) Thanks to HarleyQuinn312 for favoriting Return (though it's now That Cover Picture Is A Hint)! :D

Also, I uncovered this pile of stuff I wrote in 6th grade! Apparently I came up with the frame of Lily's story way back in July 2015, not August-September 2015, and I also learned some other stuff! I'm surprised how much I cut out over time...

Fun fact: Lily was supposed to be much shyer, kind of jumpy. She also was supposed to stay with the Miracles for two months, not one...? And she came only when she was 13, nothing about being 5. Based on the way I wrote some ideas I had back then, it's implied I wanted some of the Miracles to have romantic feelings for her... :O Ooh.

But anyway. There's one thing that actually was added in over time (though modified, the basic thing's still there), and it does actually pop up here. You'll know it when you see it. :D I'm a little rusty, so excuse any drop in quality!

And I realized how much more serious this fic has been in comparison to AC... So time for a change. Part of the reason for the throw-in of a major plot point. :D

* * *

And so Lily and Momoi went out for a walk. Lily was against doing anything to change the plot, so watching the Miracles play basketball was a no.

And neither of them felt like going to another big entertainment extravaganza. Too many of those lately.

And so they went to a park, a different park that was despite not being the park the Miracles were in nevertheless nearby Momoi's home.

It was small and really just for little kids, as the main audience of the park indicated, but it was calm so... yay?

But yeah, they got into there and sat peacefully.

Cue awkward silence.

Momoi vaguely wondered if the fish at home were going to be okay.

Lily vaguely wondered if the pancakes everybody ate were okay.

Momoi vaguely wondered if abandoning the Miracles was okay.

Lily vaguely wondered if wondering this much was okay.

But finally somebody talked.

And it was Momoi.

"So what's life like in your universe?"

Lily glanced over.

"Hm? It's... normal, I guess? I'm travelling because it's summer vacation, but the country's so hot all we do is sit there and play games. Nobody wants to go outside. Except my mom, because she wants to buy clothes and stuff. My to-be high school doesn't have a uniform, but it does have a dress code, so she wants to pick out some stuff for me. Meanwhile my sister is just begging to go home."

"You have a sister?"

"Yeah, and a brother. You're an only child, right?"

"Yeah. What is it like having siblings? Do you guys fight a lot?"

"No, not really. It's like... I'm the one everyone vents to when they're done arguing with everyone else? Except my baby brother because he's not even 2 yet. Oh, he's so cute. I'm sure that sounds vague, but I can't think of much else to describe him. If I could show you him you'd understand. He's just so so _cute_."

Momoi smiled. "Dai-chan's like that to me. Not really the cute part- though he can be- but the younger brother thing."

Lily grinned. "I'd prod for embarrassing stories but I can't."

Momoi's smile became something more sly. "I think you've seen quite a few with you snooping around my house."

"No, not really. I didn't see many pictures... unless you have a secret bookcase puzzle thing with a room?"

"Kind of."

The grin fell off Lily's face.

"Oh god, I was just joking. But what is it?"

"You've seen the balcony by my room, right?"

"Yeah."

"So there's a set of stairs going down to the left of the balcony, and it goes into this small room we use as a kind-of basement. It's the only way to get in, though you can see it on the first floor with this huge window."

Lily blinked.

"Is your house old or something? And it's Western, which... actually, I don't know how that makes it sound old. But it does."

"No, it's new. It's being converted to an apartment, which is why there's that room. Soon there'll be four living spaces, two on each floor, instead of two. They also want to build an extra floor, though I'm not sure what it's for."

"Oh. I wonder why we're talking about houses."

Yeah, me too. We always end up talking about furniture.

"Hm... let's do something else then. Wanna eat something?"

"But we ate pancakes already."

"Hm... Let's play with these little kids, then!"

Lily paused.

"Sure."

She went straight to the swings, where no little kid was playing with another little kid.

Momoi stared a little, but let it pass as she heard a call of "Daiki!".

Sounded awfully familiar, though it might've just been the name.

She felt something bump into her legs.

"Ah, I'm sorry!"

"No, it's fine. What..."

Oh, the girl was gone.

Never mind.

She felt herself standing around for a few seconds.

"Excuse me?"

She looked down again. Oh, another kid.

"Hi, nee-san. You're pretty."

Then the kid ran away.

...

She should be flattered by that, she guessed.

And then a scream.

Momoi glanced in the direction of the sound.

And she saw fire.

She paused, before panic got in. The thing had started at a barbecue, which meant this was illegal barbecueing, and it had raked up a tree which presented very clear problems.

Like the falling branches?!

There was already someone yelling that they'd called an ambulance, so the main thing was getting everyone out.

There was a kid nearby her also watching, and she grabbed his hand before running out. He let out a small yelp before succumbing, her vaguely registering him trying to grasp at something when they got near the entrance of the park.

She found herself wishing she was Aomine. Why had they taken the seats near the back of the park?! Because there were some kids throwing around a football at the entrance?!

The little kid was tired when they got out, and honestly so was she, but there was a girl at the far end no one noticed that she did. Two years with Kuroko allowed it!

The soul had been trying to get out, but a branch had fallen in front of her and she had warily stepped back, stuck with standing there and waiting for Prince(ss) Charming.

But she was here! So she would be saved!

And so she got in, despite shouts of what are you doing, everyone's out.

Now the only question was how to get around the flaming branch. Not like she had any water with her. And there weren't fountains big enough to supply water that fast.

Oh, maybe a sacrifice would work.

Oh mighty fayer, take this stupid football.

Didn't quite work, but her attempt got the fire to die down enough that people saw the girl and ran in to help her.

A businessman took off his blazer and started to try to blow out the thing, but then the ambulance arrived and the extinguishers and hoses came out.

Okay, good.

The fire on the branch went out with some hose spraying, Momoi abruptly realizing the branch was a lot more burnt than she thought and that if she'd stepped over when she sacrificed the football she would've made it.

But yeah, things were taken care of now.

The park was small, so the hose was all that was needed.

... Oh, where was Lily?

...

Where...?

If only Lily was as shiny as Kise.

Ah, speak of the devil.

Her hair was burnt, and she looked kind of dazed...

"Hello. A branch fell on my face."

Her tone was flat.

As was probably expected, nothing good seemed to ever come out of going outside with Lily.

Momoi resolved to stay home.

"Do you want to get a haircut? It's short enough that it could pass off as bangs, but it could look a little neater..."

"Sure. I feel like I should be freaking out but I just feel tired..."

Same. Momoi felt like having a nap, screw checking up on her friends.

But then she paused.

"I can't remember the place's address..."

"Do you remember it's name?"

"Something with 'sa' but I'm not sure."

"Huh. Let's just go straight home then."

And so they did...

But there was one thing.

"Momoi?"

She glanced at Lily.

"We're almost home. I'm sorry for getting lost the first time."

"No, it's fine. But my hair grew back."

...

"What."

...

"Wait, show me!"

Lily placed the clumps of hair that had once fallen over her forehead but were now chest-length into Momoi's awaiting hands.

"... Is this like... a side effect of being able to go here? I just imagined myself with my hair back and it happened."

"I don't know. Can you make it grow longer and shorter?"

Nothing happened.

"Hm... a specific length, then?"

Lily's hair became waist length.

"It used to be this long in 7th grade or so."

"Huh."

"Maybe if I imagine myself knowing what this- oh, it's summoning. I imagine myself doing something and it's summoned into existence. I felt a sort of drain, though..."

"Let's go home. We'll deal with this later."

Yeah. She was starting to feel overwhelmed, just ready to go home and sleep.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I started to feel overwhelmed too? Maybe this was too much... Honestly this is the big thing, but god, after a fire nobody wants to deal with random superpowers.


End file.
